Getting what you need to grow your project

Jul 17, 2022 News

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The Creators’ Coven

By Zena Henry

Kaieteur News – So, we need more money. Our incomes are barely holding up against the higher prices. Grocery runs have become even more stressful; priorities overshadow entertainment, and every dollar must now be spent with caution. It’s a very difficult period being faced by many, but we are bent on riding it out. We are ready to adapt and apply new ideas and skills where necessary.

Last week I shared with you some super creative ways to help diversify your income, and I used several proven examples from my personal experience. This is probably the sixth article in an unplanned series dealing with creative ways to combat high cost of living. “I’d mentioned a few ‘side hustles’ such as hair and nail design services, selling treats and food out of the home and even selling the surplus from the kitchen garden alluded to much earlier in the series.

But maybe you are at a point where your creative projects are ready for a step up or you are now ready to open your own small establishment. You would recall that I had shared about creative projects as a means of increasing your income, so of course if there are opportunities for growth and the capacity to take on more is there; then buy all means, increase your cash intake but there are some items to take into consideration and ideas to explore. It matters not what your business or your ‘side hustle’ is, being successful in whatever you do depends heavily on accessing the help necessary to grow; whether it be information, finance or guidance, being able to get what you need for your project is imperative. It goes without saying then, that to achieve this, one must thus know what help is required for the project and how they go about getting it.

Let’s start with the micro businesses. In 2016, when I worked in communications, I fell into a routine of selling food out of my vehicle opposite the Qualfon Call Centre building on the East Bank Demerara as a side hustle. My fiancé, Harry Brijmohan, had not died yet. We would hustle home after work and together prepared items to sell; six boxes of food and 10 burgers – five chicken, five beef.  We’d start cooking by 4:30 and would be out to sell by 6 p.m. Within an hour, hour and a half, we were sold out making $6000 every night, a profit of about $4000 as the other two were set aside daily for capital purposes.

Roadside vending is a popular ‘hustle’ in general, and easy to establish, especially with funds in hand. But if you are serious about earning with the least amount of hassle, then there are rules to be followed. The Ministry of Public Works is usually responsible for the maintenance of the roadways, and is constantly warning vendors about leaving encumbrances on the roadside; old tables and tents, chairs; and many are very untidy looking. The understanding is that the ministry would “flex”, especially in this hard season, they allow vendors to sell but insist that they remove all items used at the end of the day’s business, leaving no impediments on the road corner. So, if you are looking in that direction, keep this piece of information at the front of your mind, lest you have your items towed away and you are prevented from returning to your spot.

If you are going into the food business, make it a priority to eventually obtain a food handler’s certificate, and practice good hygiene. If you keep a clean establishment, and surroundings, with a photo of your food handler’s certificate visible, I assure you this adds to your credibility. It is especially needed if you plan on expanding the food business to include dine-in because again, this is a plus toward the image of your little business.  A food handler’s certificates can be obtained at the local government organs. For example, in Georgetown the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) provides the guidelines on how one obtains a food handler’s certificate and provides the approval. I suggest making a call or visiting the relevant agency to get the particulars of requirements.

One very important requirement for expanding your business is capital, and many of us need to access additional sums to conduct our businesses. There are agencies such as the Institute of Private Enterprise Development (IPED), Small Business Bureau and the Small Business Development Finance Trust (SBDFT) to name a few. These particular establishments cater to small businesses and for the most part, offer reasonable payback terms which allows small entrepreneurs to secure financing. But there are requirements that have to be met to access these funds. So, if you are interested in seeking such loans, understand that important documents such as your business registration, National Insurance Scheme (NIS) and Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) compliances are imperative. These are among the ‘must have’ documents you will have to submit to secure a loan and basically conduct almost any type of trade. Of course, the NIS and GRA documents could be uplifted from the named agencies, while the business registration is uplifted from the Commercial Registry.

Let me just mention here that not only are these documents important in legitimatising your establishment, but it helps in time of accessing work. For example, you should have already heard about the local content legislation that seeks to protect Guyanese businesses and services to ensure local operators are adequately utilised in the local oil and gas sector. If you are the owner of a small food catering company, supplier of goods and services, you can register with the local content secretariat to be part of a list of companies from which oil operators must select a local provider; but again, all the necessary documents must be in order.

If you are involved in agriculture; interested in securing some state land to start a new venture or expand a current one, again, get the help you need for your project; seek out the relevant organisations; utilise your free source for information which is the internet, and ascertain where you can get the help you need. The Ministry of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Research & Extension Institute (NAREI) for instance, is the premier organisation responsible for spearheading agricultural research and extension activities for productivity enhancement and diversification of the non-traditional crops sector; and they oftentimes provide assistance to citizens in the agriculture field. Connecting with this agency may very well see your agriculture successes improving since you would be getting expert advice from the right people.

There are many small creators who are getting into the manufacturing and packaging businesses as well. Almost anything is being packed nowadays. Imagine my surprise when I saw packaged ready to eat pepper-pot and cook-up at the recently held Agri-forum and conference. The producer of that project had in fact received a grant in a USAID supported annual programme that offers large sums of money to small businesses to expand. So again, you can check that out with a quick Google search.

Indeed, many businesses are packaging pepper sauce, green seasoning and others. To that I say register with business organisations such as the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association’s (GMSA) for instance and benefit from being part of such recognised bodies; attend their seminars, their outreaches and other events and begin to make your way onto the business scene. If you want to market your product also, get your item(s) on the shelves of the Guyana Marketing Corporation or Guyana Shop which sells strictly locally manufactured items.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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